Friday, August 27, 2010

Gem of a book

It is a small book,thin and handy. Measuring 12 x 21 cm, staple bounded and printed by Syarikat Yakin Offset Printing Press in Kuching, at a very minimal cost. That book was to inaugurate my first solo art exhibition in 1981 held at the Sarawak Museum ( see inset) . In the book are 7 pages of sketches in pen and ink of the catalogue of paintings that were exhibited during the 3-days art show. I think that the sketches are a real marvel of the book. For many reasons, but principally as indication of the poverty and passion of my days in Kuching in the early eighties. The exorbitant rates for photographic illustration of the paintings absolutely broke my hope for a professional look to the book but somehow I felt images of the paintings on show must be incorporated in the book for guide and posterity. Despite the many late nights before the publication when I heartily drew the sketches the results were well worth it. My shallow pocket was saved the day. However, I am tempted to consider the book a gem because of the inclusion of the painting catalogue rendered in sketches. The exhibition has been one of the memorable adventures in my life. Below are examples:

The book was entitled "Pameran Lukisan dan Puisi MOOD" and can be accessed at the US Library of Congress , National Library of Australia Collection and Yale University Library by just typing the book title in google search . I know not many people will have the chance to grab the book, but thanks to the Internet, I have reproduced the poems and show some of the real paintings depicted by the sketches in another blog called 'my e-poetry book'. The e-book continues my love of English poetry to this day as the online book accommodates newer poems up till 2010.Indeed the Internet does change the way people communicate. When once dollars and passion were critical in producing a book , it's now just clicks. Today it can be done literally free and you're packaged as editor, printer, publisher, author, photographer, designer ,bookshop and marketer all in one. The Internet has empowered me to grow as a child of the universe and leaving links in cyber space.

The above is the last illustration in the book as a respect to the Sarawak Museum which consented to having me organise the art exhibition in its premise. The art show was a real success but more importantly I now find the sketches a gem of the book.